1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns an ophthalmological image processing system for electronic filing of ophthalmological images such as may be obtained by ophthalmological cameras in particular images of the fundus or front chamber of a subject's eye, or for transferring data between an ophthalmological camera and an image analyzer (data processor).
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, there has been a tendency to replace photographs taken on silver halide film by electronic images. This is true not only in the ophthalmological field, but also where electronic images offer particular advantages such as in periodic health check-ups or for examining the three-dimensional structure of a fundus. Electronic images are thus making progressive inroads, initially in those fields where it would be difficult to perform the task at hand without them.
To make effective use of electronic filing, the following subject data must be input in the form of search codes:
(1) Name PA1 (2) Sex PA1 (3) Age PA1 (4) Present address PA1 (5) Previous address PA1 (6) Examination date
In addition, in the ophthalmological fields, it is also required to input information regarding (7) the difference between the left and right eyes.
In the case of items (1)-(5), once the information is input it can be used any number of times, and in many cases it can be accessed by known techniques via a network from a hospital or health center data base. Further, if a clock function is built into the filing system, it can be input automatically by known techniques.
One example of the aforesaid ophthalmological camera is that of a fundus camera which makes observations and takes photographs of, for example, retinal blood vessels in the fundus or optic nerve papillae of a subject's eye. The size, shape and other characteristics of the blood vessels or papillas can be analyzed by this fundus camera in order to determine whether or not the fundus has a disorder, or the nature of such a disorder if present.
In recent years, in this type of ophthalmological camera, systems have been developed to permit magnetic recording and storage of photographed images on a magnetic support. In such a camera, information such as viewing angle, amount of light and filters used, etc., can also be entered from a keyboard or other input means before taking a photograph.
Methods are also being proposed to perform more detailed analyses of the images recorded on the support, and display the results of processing on a monitor TV or print them out.
This analysis also requires knowledge of the conditions existing when the photograph was taken such as viewing angle, amount of light and filters used.
However, the electronic image inputting apparatus often consisted merely of a conventional silver halide fundus camera or slit lamp to which an adapter had been added, and the information had to be input manually each time a photograph was taken. This placed a nervous strain on the operator who already had sufficient work to do to input the image, often causing the operator to forget to specify the left or right eye or to confuse them.
Further, when the aforesaid fundus camera was used in conjuction with an image analyzer, information regarding photographic conditions was input to the analyzer based on but separate from the information input to the camera, and this required more effort.
Input of information regarding photographic conditions to the analyzer was moreover based on the operator's notes or memory, and occasionally led to errors.